Ignorance: There, Their and They're:

It may be purely laziness, but more often than not when someone else points out the misuse of 'there', 'their' or 'they're', the person misusing it is simply confused.  It's not very complicated to be honest, but it is a very frequent issue.

'There' is use for indicating a location, such as 'go over there', or 'there are five wolves'.  This helps to differentiate between that and 'here are five geese', as the wolves are further away, and not immediately slaughtering and eating said geese.  It is usually preceded by the name of the location if it is not within eyesight, used as a simplifier so one doesn't always have to say 'five wolves are over by the treeline beyond the river' every time when referencing where the wolves are.

'Their' on the other hand, refers to possession.  The five geese in the previous example are owned by five farmers.  Therefore, the geese are 'their' property.  'Their five geese are here and the five wolves are there.' would be grammatically correct.  Without the prior reference to the farmers, however or a reference immediately after the sentence, we don't know who the geese belong to.  They are 'their' geese, but whose are they?

'They're' is used as an abbreviation for 'they are'.  If the wolves were crossing the river, 'They're trying to brave the river currents between their side and the geese.  The wolves mouths open, their sharp teeth eager for the taste of goose.'  This last example uses all three frequently misused words correctly, and should clarify things for those who didn't previously understand.  Those that are merely lazy, however, just need a foam bat to the side of the head perhaps.

Insanity: Security Devices and their Purpose:

In my job, we frequently have to use security devices due to how frequently something is stolen, or how much money we would lose even if it wasn't something stolen regularly if unsecured.  This happens in all aspects of retail business to some degree, and most other businesses as well.  This includes apartment buildings and their management.  In the previous complex I lived in, most of the main doors were frequently propped open because the tenants did not want to have to pay for their children to have a copy of the key because they might lose it, but didn't care to be present when allowing their offspring to play on the property or elsewhere, necessitating another means of entry.  This same means was also used by others for less than legal activities, which led to a high turnover of some tenants, and one of the many reasons we moved.  Pennies being stuck in the door latch or pebbles or the entry rug being used to keep the door from shutting were also common.  That has happened here one time that I have seen when someone wasn't in the process of moving in, but only once, unlike every single day at the other complex.  And yet those same people would complain to management about people who didn't live there coming in and out of the building, especially at late hours of the day.  Not only is that hypocrisy, it is insanity, as they are expecting something to change without making an attempt themselves to fix the problem.

Another example of security devices is the simple antivirus or firewall programs people use, most of which have more holes than Swiss Cheese or a colander, but their purpose is to protect a computer or other device and to keep it secure.  Turning it off because it slows down your downloads, rather than configuring it to allow your questionable download patrons and scan it later, is also insanity which I've seen all too much.  People complaining that the illegal game they download got them a virus despite having antivirus software...  It is insipid and insane that they persist doing the same once their computer is fixed, but most don't care to learn to stop that problem from reoccurring.  Again, they are expecting a fix without changing anything themselves.

The same happens at my job.  People frequently try to pull secured items off and get upset that they can't, even after we tell them that the items are secured and to get one of us when they have picked out what they want.  After explaining why the products are secured, they seem calmer, understanding it is to keep prices down for us and them.  And then they get confused as to why they can't just take the item that was previously secured to another register themselves.  My temples throb.  Maybe, just maybe, it's because it was secured for the reason we told you so people wouldn't take it themselves to a random spot to open and steal it?  Getting upset over not being allowed to walk it themselves and needing to ring it up in our department when we don't have the staff to walk it up when other customers are waiting?  Too bad.  The insanity of absolutely needing to have just one transaction rather than two immediately makes one wonder if either they don't have enough money and hope they can bounce a check or card (and that doesn't work in my job people), steal it, fraudulently use someone else's card or check, or know that they'll go over the amount in their account with another purchase that they can bounce later in the day due to its processing time, and are hoping ours will not actually process until the end of the day when they may or may not have the funds for it to not bounce.  Trying to purchase or take something that necessitates payment to legally obtain is fine.  Intentionally trying to break a security device, retail or otherwise, or trying to somehow run a fraud...  These things should be seen as insane and worth banning someone from the premises, or serving someone their eviction notice.  Many places do.  Most do not.  That is insanity.

Insanity: Hilarious Return Attempts:

Alright, many of you who read this blog are people who work in the retail industry or some other service industry where products are returnable.  I'm willing to hazard that at least 95% if not more of the employers of those people and future readers in said businesses have very specific return regulation, the most common being a length of time when something is returnable and the need to have a receipt to do so.  One might say it is ignorance when someone attempts a return the first time and doesn't have a receipt or goes over the period of return allowance, and in some cases it is.  However, making the attempt a second time for the same products or future products after having been told of this policy, especially if it is the same day, not an hour from the first attempt is plain insanity.  One could say it is stupidity, the inability to absorb information to take one away from ignorance to an increase in knowledge, but more often than not it is insanity, plain and simple.  Doing the same thing over and over again without changing anything and expecting a different result. 

If you bring me a cell phone without a receipt and ask to return it, you can bet that I have to check that everything is there, and that it is within the return allowance window.  If you have the receipt and I check it, pointing out that even on there is notice at the bottom saying that there are only fifteen days to bring it back, and you are at day ninety-eight, I can't help you.  If you bring it back to our store with another associate helping you an hour later and say you don't have the receipt, and expect a return, that's intentionally trying to defraud us, and not insanity since you did change one thing, however you're still not getting it returned.  Bringing a different receipt that is newer in the next day, but the serial number doesn't match?  Sorry, you have to get the right one.  Come back with the right one and the numbers match and it is within the return allowance?  Alright, time to check the contents.  Oops, you don't have the sim card and manual, get them and come back.  Return twenty minutes later and try again without the sim card and manual again, you're insane.  Come back another hour later, this time missing the battery but having the sim card and manual?  Go get it!  Bringing it back with everything that seems is supposed to be in there?  Great!  Except now it's the first phone from over three months ago.  Go get the right one again.  The one you can return.

Oh, great, sending in your sibling/friend/relative/lover?  Not going to change anything if it isn't everything that is supposed to be there.  Aaaaaand this time it's actually a brick inside there or a phone from an entirely different company.  Now you're being insulting.  And actually becoming profane and trying to be threatening, demanding a manager.   Congratulations!  You went for broke and tried to get someone over us to help you.  Except now they're laughing too.  You shout you want their manager?  Maybe the police can help you.  If not, maybe a good psychiatrist.  Next!  Oh good!  You're returning it an hour after you bought it.  You saw what just happened and are joking about the last return attempt?  Then why did you put a PS1 in a PS2 box.  *facepalms*  The above was the exact order of events from five years ago.  At least one of the many attempts that happened then occurs every week if not every day.  Usually more than one, and more often than not, from the same person.  Welcome to retail.

Ignorance: The Wonderful, Terrible Can:

Oh the wonderful, possible, terrible things people can do with the word 'can'.  That, and its misuse.  The word 'can' means 'to be able to' or 'to be permitted to'.  Typically, however, people use it in place of 'will' (meaning in this case 'expressing future tense' or 'expressing the inevitable'), or in the place of 'should' (meaning 'used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when criticizing someone's actions' or 'used to indicate what is probable'), or in the place of 'may' (meaning 'expressing possibility' or 'expressing permission').  These uses can be confusing to the layman, who might think they are requesting something to be done, and are instead asking if it is possible.  Case in point:  You can jump off a bridge, but should you?  You may want to reconsider that.  When someone asks if they can do something, they should be intending to ask if someone has the capability to do so.  I often tease co-workers on this when they ask if I can ring up their purchases, replying that 'I can, and would you like me to do so, since that's not what you just asked'.  Usually this leaves them confused and I explain the difference between 'can', 'will' and 'may'.  They may have their purchases rung up after asking, and I will ring them up if I can.  It's not that hard to use can as one should, but many may be ignorant to its use and most can and will incorrectly use it.  If you understood that last sentence without problem, congratulations, either you knew the correct use already, or you came to understand it after reading this post.  If you still don't know how to use 'can' correctly, please insert yourself in a goto loop back to the top of this post and reread it until you do understand.  It isn't very difficult to understand, but its frequent misuse may be confusing.